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Remains of US airman missing since second world war laid to rest in Florida
TL;DR
The remains of US Navy airman Robert Cyr Jr, missing since WWII, were identified and laid to rest in Florida. His burial concludes a decades-long search following a seaplane crash in 1944.
Key points
- Robert Cyr Jr was a US Navy airman missing since WWII.
- His remains were identified through DNA analysis.
- Cyr was laid to rest in Clearwater, Florida.
- The seaplane crash occurred on January 22, 1944.
- Researchers located the wreck site in July 2022.
Mentioned in this story
Robert Cyr JrDefense POW/MIA Accounting AgencyClearwater, FloridaRepublic of Vanuatu
The remains of a US military aviator who went missing after his crew crashed during the second world war were recovered and identified through DNA analysis and his family recently laid him to rest in Florida, according to officials.
US navy airman Robert Cyr Jr’s burial in Clearwater, Florida, brought to an end a decades-long saga that began on 22 January 1944, when he and eight fellow crewmates crashed while they were aboard a seaplane as it took off in the Segond channel in what is now the south Pacific’s Republic of Vanuatu.
Three of those aviators survived; four were recovered in the days following the wreck; and Cyr, then age 19, was one of two who remained missing even after the war was over, US military officials said in a statement.
Researchers and divers from Sealark Exploration located and documented that wreck site in July 2022 during an underwater investigation conducted at the behest of the Defense POW/MIA accounting agency (DPAA), which dedicates itself to identifying US military personnel who are unaccounted for after past conflicts. The DPAA said a second group working with the agency, Cosmos Archaeology, later excavated the site on separate occasions in June 2024 and May 2025 – efforts which yielded possible human remains and bone tissue.
Armed forces medical examiner system scientists later used mitochondrial DNA analysis to conclude the remains were those of Cyr, the DPAA said. The agency also said its scientists used anthropological analysis along with material and circumstantial evidence to boost the confidence in the identification of Cyr.
The military held a funeral for Cyr on Saturday in the Tampa, Florida, suburb of Clearwater, where relatives of his live. And, after a funeral service involving a flag-draped casket, rifle volleys and the playing of taps, those family members described a sense of relief in getting the opportunity to bury Cyr with military honors.
His niece, Chickee Gould, told the Florida news outlet WTVT that Cyr’s mother never stopped believing he was out there “somewhere”.
Q&A
Who was Robert Cyr Jr and why was he missing since WWII?
Robert Cyr Jr was a US Navy airman who went missing after his seaplane crashed in 1944 during World War II.
How were Robert Cyr Jr's remains identified?
His remains were identified through mitochondrial DNA analysis and anthropological evidence by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
Where was Robert Cyr Jr laid to rest?
Robert Cyr Jr was laid to rest in Clearwater, Florida.
What happened to the other crew members of the seaplane crash?
Three crew members survived, four were recovered shortly after the crash, while Cyr and one other remained missing until recently.
